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Why Christmas

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by ShagNappy, Nov 27, 2013.

  1. ShagNappy

    ShagNappy Member

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    Why is Christmas a month+ long celebration of the birth of Christ? While important, is not the "day of days." But the death and resurrection, which saves our souls and allows us entrance into Heaven, is a single day with a few good songs, a good sermon, and then more often than not, we go out to eat, go home and find some candy filled eggs, then call it a day and do not even return to church?

    Do we not have things backwards?

    This is not another Christmas bash thread. I do Christmas. Tree, stockings, etc., etc. It just seems to me we are putting the emphasis in the wrong place.
     
  2. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    We could look at it this way - The second person of the Trinity became flesh, born of a woman, a mortal man, a member of the human race.

    The earthly event that revealed to mankind that God intends to bring salvation to the human race - to as many as receive Him.

    The first event that made the second event (His death, burial and resurrection) possible.

    Without His human birth there would be no blood atonement.

    HankD
     
    #2 HankD, Nov 27, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2013
  3. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Three reasons
    money, more money, and lots of money


    KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS
     
  4. Baptist4life

    Baptist4life Well-Known Member
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    +1 .....sadly, I gotta agree.
     
  5. thisnumbersdisconnected

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    On the contrary, it is the fulfillment of the promise made to Adam and Eve as they were being evicted from the Garden four thousand years earlier. He is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham that his Seed would bless the world. That He would also fulfill the promise of the resurrection was the bonus that arrived in that manger 2000 or so years ago. Yes, Resurrection Sunday is an extremely important celebration, but the Advent of the Christ who would fulfill that promise should be celebrated also, given that without His birth, the second promise would have gone wanting.
     
  6. ShagNappy

    ShagNappy Member

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    Excuse me while I ramble a bit to try and get everything I am thinking out...

    I get that, and I am not trying to diminish the birth of Christ or suggesting we should not celebrate it. I guess the question should be, perhaps, why is Easter not equally celebrated? In the end, the death, burial, and resurrection is what provides for our salvation. And it's a one day event that gets less and less important each year.

    I am really trying to determine how this is. How did Christmas become so much more important to Christians? Everything I have read is in agreement that the early Christians didn't seem to give much importance to the birth, but rather it was the death, burial, and resurrection that was "celebrated."

    Perhaps I see it to simplistically. I am not suggesting the fulfillment of God's promise is something to be dismissed, but the other seems a whole lot more important to me and more worthy of a massive celebration consisting of decorations, special songs, etc. Is it because we, today, have the complete revealed word and see the entirety of God's plan to bring us salvation?

    /ramble
     
  7. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    Well, to be forthright, December 25th harkens back to the celebration of Mithras the sun god. While it is true that the winter solstice is December 21st, the 25th is the first day that the day becomes longer than the shortest day even though the days following the soltice the sun sets later but it also rises later (or so I'm told).

    In any event December 25th was the celebration of the rebirth of the sun.

    Combine that with the fact that the Church of Rome (after the edict of Constantine around AD321) strongly recommended that everyone become a Christian. So the Pagan folks did and they consequently brought their old traditions with them and their bishops did not complain.

    The Day of Mithras became "Christmas", the Day of Ishtar became "easter".

    Each with its own trappings - the Christmas tree from mithras, rabbits and eggs from the fertility cult of Ishtar.

    Going on from there these "holidays" took on a life of their own with all the strange Pagan traditions from the past and spread though out Europe and Asia Minor that was Christian.

    Then entered commercialism and gain and there it is.

    My opinion of course (as well as others).

    As Christians we shouldn't be afraid of these traditions as we impute to them traditions which are Christ centered.

    Other folks certainly disagree. I attended a church which totally discouraged the celebration of Christmas, even if it were Christ centered for to tell the truth we have no idea when He was born. That is why it is called a celebration.

    The celebration of the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ.

    Read a book (if you haven't already) called The Two Babylons by Hislop (sp?) It's a hard read, not 100% accurate but it gives the explanations and history behind these Pagan traditions that crept into "christendom".

    Yes, I celebrate Christmas (although a very mild version) as His Incarnation (some authorities believe it is possible Jesus was conceived on December 25th) and birth and Easter as Resurrection Day.

    HankD
     
    #7 HankD, Nov 27, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2013
  8. Sapper Woody

    Sapper Woody Well-Known Member

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  9. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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  10. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    It isn't a monthlong celebration. It is a month long pagan ritual.
     
  11. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    Not for everyone.

    At our local church as we advertise to the community

    "He's the Reason for the Season".


    HankD
     
  12. thisnumbersdisconnected

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    SW, I agree with Hank. Speak for yourself, please. You can grouse about how everyone else views Christmas, or you can celebrate the birth of the Christ. Your choice.
     
  13. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    I doubt there is very much pagan ritual to it (one cannot practice pagan ritual divorced from its pagan religion) - but secular tradition seems to rule the season in the marketplace anyway.
     
  14. Sapper Woody

    Sapper Woody Well-Known Member

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    When people say things like this about a holiday, even Halloween, I like to ask, did you have bridesmaids and groomsmen in your wedding? That's a pagan practice to confuse evil spirits so they won't know who the bride and groom are.

    Before the question is asked, yes I had them. And I celebrate Christmas.
     
  15. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    This has been posted periodically on the BB:

    Our culture is inundated with a paganisn
    Every day of the week is named in honor of a false god:

    Sunday - Sun Day
    Monday - Moon Day
    Tuesday - Zeus Day
    Wednesday - Woden's Day
    Thursday - Thor's Day
    Friday - Fridda's Day
    Saturday - Saturn's Day

    Do we worship the sun on Sunday?
    Do we pray to Woden at the Wednesday prayer meeting?

    No? Well don't worry then, I promise you none of us will be worshipping the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

    But commerating the great gift of God He has given to us - Himself.

    John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.​



    HankD
     
  16. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
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    To the world there is no celebration of the birth of Christ.

    There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
    John 1:9-10 NAS77

    A lost person has no more thought of Jesus Christ from Thanksgiving to Christmas than the rest of the year.

    To the redeemed there is no separation of events: from His birth at the fullness of time (Gal 4:4) to His death and resurrection, ascension and anticipated return in Triumph! We proclaim His death until He comes again around His table (I Cor 11:26). We proclaim His death and resurrection in the waters of baptism (Rom 6:4). That is something the church does year round. Well, we don't baptize in the winter because the creek is frozen over but you get my point. No one point of His life can be singled out as more important than another. They all are essential to the whole.

    At my house, we'll do all the trimmings for Christmas this year as we have for many years past, but we do it out of tradition and not conviction.
     
  17. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    Did it work...the cake toppers, I mean??? :wavey:
     
  18. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    First, I do not believe Easter and Christmas are or should be in competition with each other. They are a celebration of what Christ has done for us, and should be in complete harmony while celebrating the totality of His life.

    I do agree that what man has done to both Christmas and Easter is disgusting. What chestnuts on a open fire, flying reindeer, silver bells, mistletoe, good King Winchas, Tiny Tim, and the ghost of Christmas past have to do with celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, I will never know. I was listening to the lyrics the other day of "Little Drummer Boy." So, at the birth of Jesus in the manger, a boy of about thirteen is pounding a snare drum while a sheep and a goat kept time, and Jesus smiled at him. Where does this kind of nonsense come from?

    What I disagree with is putting the blame totally on the secular merchandise industry. Each Christian has the power to ignore the money aspects of the holiday, and worship our Savior. The longer than month celebration and the decorations appearing in August at the stores does not obligate us to follow the lead of the money trail.

    No human tradition is going to dictate or influence how I celebrate Christmas or Easter.
     
    #18 saturneptune, Dec 1, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 1, 2013
  19. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    Devil's advocate anyone?

    Christmas season does present witnessing opportunities that are not so readily available as during other parts of the year.

    Also - I know this is going to be unpopular amongst many here at the BB, but it is certainly true that the economy is stimulated at this time of the year.

    And the music (Hark the Herald Angels, Silent Night, Oh Holy Night...)

    HankD
     
  20. Gina B

    Gina B Active Member

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    Well, I guess you wouldn't have Easter without Christmas, ie you wouldn't have the death and resurrection without the birth, and the birth of a baby is always viewed as a miraculous event, whether the baby is considered divinity or not.
    In this case, it symbolizes the gift of Christ to us - the moment he came to us as our salvation.

    I suppose for those that choose to celebrate Christmas, that's a good reason! Once that happened, we knew the rest would follow. It was a a long awaited and prophesied event, and in that, it also gives us hope in that those who waited so long saw that promise, just as we know the promise of his return is true. He will return, and that's very exciting. I can see why people get excited!

    With Easter, he was already here. It was not that many years later. It was humans being evil and rejecting him, to the point of killing our Savior's body. It is a terrible reminder of the depths of evil that we can reach. It doesn't exactly scream "party time!" Yes, he was resurrected, just as prophesied, still bearing the scars of what our sin did to him. It is sobering.

    The commercialism surrounding ANYTHING stinks. Anyone who can profit will always take advantage of such times and exploit them, but that doesn't isn't your fault. It's the fault of those exploiting it. Then there's those that want to ruin the holiday itself. Silly.
    I do love the lights though. So keep up with those. LOL It's our tradition to drive around and look at how everyone decorated.

    (we've never really done Christmas much except a few years, usually because of others - did you know some public school officials and such actually consider it ABUSE to not get kids tons of presents at Christmas, even if it's not your culture to celebrate it?)
     
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